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Only three years ago I looked at the first GPS solution for Pocket PC from Navman. This consisted of a large and bulky jacket that attached to an already sizable iPAQ. The combined weight was such that the windscreen holder wouldn’t stay on for more than a few minutes, rendering it entirely unusable as an in-car navigation system. So for anyone who wants a clear example of the onward and upward march of technology, they could do worse than look at the Mitac Mio DigiWalker 168. This relatively lightweight PDA is the first Pocket PC to offer an integrated GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver. Again the GPS component is manufactured by Navman but this time it’s actually built into the unit with only a small aerial at the rear giving the game away. At 147g its slightly heavier than the latest Dell Axims and 41xx series iPAQs but the Mitac’s modest dimensions ensure that it remains eminently pocketable.

It’s pleasing to see that everything needed for using the device in the car is included. There’s a windscreen holder and I was pleased to find that it stayed firmly attached even over bumpier ground. There’s also an in-car charger and as GPS is integrated you’ll only need one power cable trailing in your car. However, if you need to improve reception, Mitac has included an external receiver. This attaches to the tip of the aerial and can sit on the dashboard. However, in my Ford Puma I had no trouble picking up a signal in less than a minute, even without the aerial flap raised as long as the weather was good. In cloudy days it sometimes took several minutes to gain a fix. During my testing the Mio 168 consistently picked up between four and eight satellites, depending on its view of the sky. It should be obvious therefore that the Mio 168’s GPS not only won’t work indoors but also has trouble in built-up areas such as in city centres, where tall buildings block its view of the sky.

GPS aside, the Mio DigiWalker 168 is a fairly unremarkable Pocket PC. There’s no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi with connectivity limited to a single SD card slot and infra red. The processor is a 300MHz Intel PA255; slower than the 400Mhz offering seen in recent Pocket PCs. However, it was fast enough for all the tasks I threw at it. The memory complement is also a tad on the low side, consisting of just 32MB of RAM and 32MB of ROM. The Mio doesn’t have a cradle for PC syncing, making do with a USB cable. The power supply however, plugs into the USB connector, so the Mio charges whenever it’s hooked up.

In terms of build quality the Mitac is also nothing to write home about, especially compared to the sleek Dell Axim I looked at recently. The chassis has a plastic feel to it, and the power button and the shortcut button on the left side are rubber, though at least this can be assigned to quickly launch the GPS software. While not the brightest or boldest I’ve seen, the display was good enough to view outdoors. The unit also made a slight whine whenever it was switched on, though this was only audible when in quiet environments.

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